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Worth a read but have the next book to hand to carry on the series

I love Wilbur Smith, he is such an amazing author, his books giving you such insight into the characters that you are reading about, I have read most of his books. This series which started with the River God was especially good. I was really looking forward to reading the Seventh Scroll and finding out what had happened to all the characters from the first book. Unfortunately, I had to wait until the next book in the series for this as the Seventh Scroll dived into a modern tale with completely different characters. I think if I was reading it out of the series I would have enjoyed it more, but because I was looking forward to reading the rest of the series this book didn't reach my expectations. I read the book all the way through thinking that I needed to, to then understand the other books, which indeed helped but I don't feel it was completely necessary. It is such a lovely book, with so much description and detail to capture the author, which once again Wilbur Smith achieved but I just couldn't help thinking about the original characters and wanting to read more about them in the next part of the series.

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A break from the sequence

I enjoyed the Seventh Scroll but was expecting a direct sequel to River God... something I subsequently got with Warlock and The Quest. This one goes forward to the present day, and is classic Wilbur Smith - two people on an adventure. One male, one female. The female one comes off as headstrong but very weak in almost every other respect and it is up to the dominant male character to save the day for her at every turn. And, of course they are both deeply in love with one another but cannot admit it, not even after the obligatory sex scene. Wilbur Smith has a specific formula and does come off as a very sexist individual - never really fleshing out female characters. But if you can put all of that aside, his books are always very good. And the Seventh scroll is no exception. It is worth reading - but if you want a straight forward sequel to River God instead of this quirky idea for a subsequent chapter, then you might be better moving right onto Warlock instead.

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I had never read Wilbur Smith until my uncle gave me "River God", which is sweeping tale of ancients struggling for survival in the bronze age, I devoured it in two days and would give it four stars. Excitedly I bought its sequel, "The Seventh Scroll", thinking that it would be more of the same. I was hugely disappointed. The book is inconsistent at best and down right awful at worst. I cannot believe that is was written by the same author. The characters are working on clues left in the book "River God" to find an ancient tomb. Some of the things they will find are clearly described in River God, but despite re-reading it within the plot the characters are stunned when they come across the very same things. Add to that the use of an identical plot element twice (two people floating down a river in a fight to the death) gratuitous sex and violence, and you have a disturbing read. Not a one star read, because some of the sections are quite gripping, but certainly not a five star! One of the biggest mistakes is this, (don't read on if you want to try the book). - Taita is a genius, and clearly describes how he makes the tomb look like it has been robbed. The sarcophagus lid is thrown on the ground etc... So how come the "robbers" sealed up the tomb after they left, then removed all traces of their dam and left a lot of artifacts in perfect condition in the tomb? After the excellence of River God, I was quite fond of Taita and prefer to think that these mistakes are those of Wilbur Smith in a funny mood and not of the great Taita.

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Fantastic followup to River God. Exciting, action packed, amazing. Set in modern day, so be warned, its millenia after river God. You cant put this book down, and you certainly can not tell what is going to happen next. It keeps you guessing right up till the end. Youll follow the characters as they trek between Egypt, England, and Ethiopia, gasp at the horrors, and smile at the pleasures. I hate history, but this book has instilled within me a need to learn more about Egypt and the Pharoas. Even more important though is the question you must ask yourself... Is this book based on fact, and if so, how much?

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The Seventh Scroll chronicles the adventures of an archeologist and a treasure hunter as they race against deadly adversaries to uncover the secrets hidden in the mysterious seventh scroll. This is Wilbur at his finest, gripping plot and fast-paced action from start to finish, and as always his flair for describing in intricate detail the beautiful and often precarious terrain of Africa and Ethopia in particular, where this particular novel is set. Personally, I could not put this book down. Every turn of the page was another startling scene being played out by the words themselves. The characters are wonderful, and the romantic interest develops along side the plotline at a measured and enticing stroll. If you haven't read any of Wilbur Smith's work before, start here, you will not regret it.